Unity State cuts 5 ministries in order to pay civil servants full salaries

January 13, 2013 (BENTIU) - Parliamentarians in South Sudan’s oil-rich Unity State passed a resolution on 11 January downsizing the state government as part of austerity measures introduced after oil-production was shutdown last year due a transit fee dispute with Khartoum.

Unity State and the rest of South Sudan has been facing a financial crisis since the oil dispute began a year ago. A deal to resume exports through Sudan was signed in September, but has not been implemented due to security issues along the north-south border.

On Thursday, the state assembly, under Speaker Simon Maguek Gai, amended a resolution, together with the council of state ministers agreeing to reduce the number of state ministries from 15 to 10 and specialized committees from 14 to 10.

Speaker Gai said the decision was taken due to a shortfall in funds received by the state government. South Sudan’s government relied on oil production for 98% of its revenue before it abruptly halted production a year ago.

South Sudan accused Sudan of confiscating its oil entitlements worth about US$815m. Khartoum denied this but admitted it had taken some oil as payment for unpaid fees South Sudan owed it.

Until the shutdown, Unity State received an additional 2% of the oil revenues, in recognition that the state’s oil fields produced most of South Sudan’s crude. When South Sudan seceded in July 2011, it took with it 75% of Sudan’s oil production, but the necessary infrastructure needed to export oil to international markets remained in the north.

Following the closure, South Sudan announced that no civil servant salaries would be reduced. However, some states have resorted to cutting pay, including Unity State, where government employees had their pay cut by 25% in July last year.

Analysts point out that government salaries are the main method by which the South Sudanese state distributes wealth, with one salary often supporting many dependents. Development and infrastructure projects, as well as the provision of some public services bore the brunt of the cuts.

Decreasing the number of committees and specialised committees, the speaker told Sudan Tribune, would allow the government to return state employees to their previous salaries, reversing the deeply unpopular 25% cut.

James Buay Nyoch, a civil servant at Unity State’s Ministry of Education, which was not scrapped in the re-organisation, told Sudan Tribune he welcomed the decision.

The state parliament has ordered the Finance Ministry to pay civil servant’s their full salary for January at the end of this month. This decision, Unity State’s citizens say, has surprised many.

While the details of the new measures are still being worked out, Gai says the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport, the Ministry of Gender and Child Welfare, and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the commissioner of the state’s headquarters are among those earmarked to be merged with other ministries and departments.

The cut in the salaries of civil servants in July 2011 was introduced while state legislators were on recess. But after the state assembly opened in December last year, parliamentarians pressured the governor and the council of state ministers to reverse their decision.

The reshuffle also saw four county commissioners changed, with new figures appointed in Mayom, Leer, Panyijiar and Abiemnhom counties.

(ST)

The Unity State reshuffle in full

Ministries

Abolished ministries:

Ministry of Parliamentarian Affairs, its current responsibilities to be carried out by the Chief Whip of the State Legislative Assembly.

Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, its current responsibilities to be carried out by the State Ministry of Physical Infrastructure, Urban Development and Natural Resources.

Ministry of Gender and Child Welfare is taken back to the Ministry of Social Development, Gender and Child Welfare.

Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, its responsibilities to be carried out by the State Ministry of Information and Communication, Culture, Youth and Sport.

Commissioner of the State Head Quarter, its current responsibilities to be carried out by the Secretary General.

Newly structured ministries:

Ministry of Local Government and Law Enforcement.

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Cooperative.

Ministry of Finance, Trade and Industry

Ministry of General Education and Instruction

Ministry of Physical Infrastructure, Urban Development and Natural Resource.

Ministry of Information, Communication, Culture, Youth and Sport

Ministry of Social Development, Gender and Child Welfare.

Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development

Ministry of Animal Resource and Fishery

Relieved Director Generals as affected by the abolition of their respective ministries.

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16 January 2013 07:38, by Nuer Dominated Liberation of South Sudan

Great work Mr. Lt. Gen Taban Deng, you should be the president After Dr.Riek Machar.

we shall know soon the positive effects of this downsizing. We shall know that by two ways:
1. all employees will be paid their salaries monthly from now on without fail.
2. roads in unity states will reach every county and payams and they will be in better conditions.
if these things cannot happen, then we shall hear loud cries soon. I do congratulate the governor though. this is a wise move.

Nuer Dominated---,
You seem to view Taban’s ability tribally. Can you fight tribalism using tribalism? Taban and Bokasoro will be next Presidential candidates if the event of President Kiir likely stepping down as the founding father of RSS. Guess who will win in the ensuing battle.

EES Kingmaker,
Don’t waste time arguing this boy. This school boy is just a fool. Am worried that he even drag you his level, and there beat with experience. I advise the entire member not to push argument with this Nuer kid.

Unity State started the New Year 2013 on the right footing. A bloated Government is the cause of conflicts, poverty and underdevelopment in South Sudan. Time for political accommodation is over and gone. Let’s turn to new page of actual development. Anyone who dreams of this accommodation regardless of performance should forget it. Unity State should be taken as a model by other 9 states.

Master,
Perhaps so but I think not. One doubts whether there is a capable muslim in Unity State that could be part and parcel of Taban’s Government. Is there anyone really other than former die-hard NCP-spies-turned-masquerading SPLM supporters?

Master
Do you have christian or non muslim in Bashir Gov’t? We don’t need torrist in the south sudan Government. I am a sudanese but I heart the way you treat the holy religion of Islaam. that is why some south sudanese call you fake Arabs.

Taban had known something at least. He had done better, Not like our corrupt national government. Kiir and his advisors are all stupid. Our national government is so of accommodating individuals than a focused service providing one. Look at how he duplicate the ministries (There is ministry of information and broadcasting at the same time ministry of Tele-communication. We have ministry of roads b

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